245. 5. Solomon was permitted to establish idolatrous worship. This was done that he might represent the Lord's kingdom or the Church with all forms of religion in the whole world. For the Church established with the nation of Israel and Judah was a representative Church, and therefore all the judgments and statutes of that Church represented the spiritual things of the Church, which are its internals. The people themselves represented the Church, the king represented the Lord, David representing the Lord who was to come into the world and Solomon the Lord after His Coming. Because the Lord after the glorification of His Human had power over heaven and earth, as He Himself says in Matt. xxviii. 18, therefore Solomon who represented Him appeared in glory and magnificence, and possessed wisdom above all the kings of the earth, and also built the temple. Moreover, he permitted and established the forms of worship of many nations, by which were represented the various religions in the world. His wives, who numbered seven hundred and his concubines who numbered three hundred (1 Kings x. 3), had a similar signification, for a "wife" in the Word signifies the Church and a "concubine" a form of religion. Hence it may be evident why it was granted to Solomon to build the temple which signified both the Lord's Divine Human (John ii. 19, 21) and the Church; and why he was permitted to set up idolatrous forms of worship, and to marry so many wives. That by David in many places in the Word is meant the Lord, who was to come into the world, may be seen in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE LORD (n. 43, 44).